LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - The Arkansas attorney general's office asked the state's top court to lift stays of executions for six death row inmates who challenged the constitutionality of the state's lethal injection law.

McDaniel's request comes after the Legislature last month enacted a new lethal injection law, called Act 139, to replace the one the state's top court deemed unconstitutional last year.

"To the extent that (the death row inmates) have concerns regarding the constitutionality of Act 139, they may file a new lawsuit..." an assistant attorney general wrote in the court filing. "But litigation under the prior method-of-execution statute has come to an end, and so there is no reason for the current stays to remain in effect."

Lawyers for the death row inmates are expected to respond to the attorney general's request, though nothing had been filed as of Monday.

"We're in the process of studying how the new law is actually going to work and where they're actually going to get the drugs that they're using," said Jeff Rosenzweig, who represents Johnson and Jones.

Lawyers for Davis and Ward didn't respond to phone messages left Monday. Lawyers for McGehee and Williams declined to comment.

The Arkansas Supreme Court in June sided with the six death row inmates and several others and deemed the state's 2009 lethal injection law unconstitutional. The court said the Legislature had given the Department of Correction "unfettered discretion" to figure out the protocol and procedures for executions, including the chemicals to be used.

The new law spells out in greater detail the procedures the state must follow in carrying out executions. It says the state must use a lethal dose of a barbiturate, but leaves it up to the Department of Correction to determine which one.

Correction spokeswoman Shea Wilson said the agency hasn't figured out which drug they'll use yet.

And for now, there's no rush.

Arkansas doesn't have executions scheduled for any of its 37 death row inmates.

For that to change, McDaniel would have to notify the governor that inmates' court challenges have run their course and ask him to set execution dates.

Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe has not received any requests to set execution dates, but spokesman Matt DeCample has said the governor will follow the law of the land despite his misgivings about the death penalty. After running for governor as a supporter of capital punishment, Beebe said earlier this year that he would sign legislation outlawing the death penalty if legislators were to send him such a bill.

On Monday, Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, proposed abolishing the death penalty, but the bill is not expected to make it to Beebe's desk.

"That's an aspirational bill," Elliott said. "I'm not actively running it because it's not something I had on my radar at this time, but the bill needed to be filed just in case they can develop the support for it."